John Allen of the Boston Globe usually sits down at the end of the year to write something about the biggest uncovered Catholic stories from the past 12 months. But the longtime Vatican correspondent says he didn’t need to this year, thanks to a news media sensation focused on Pope Francis.

The US and Cuba supposedly negotiated in secret for more than a year to bring about a thaw between the two countries. They weren't the only ones, though: Pope Francis also helped the two longtime enemies conduct their back-channel diplomacy.

American nuns have come in for sharp criticism in the past from Vatican officials. But the Catholic Church's latest report on nuns in the US offered praise instead, a welcome change at a time when American religious orders are growing older and more cash-strapped.

Pope Francis has already called attention to poverty and inequality, and he's now calling Catholics to pay more notice to the environment. In doing so, he could change not only policy but the way that people view sin and responsibility.

President Barack Obama met with Pope Francis at the Vatican on Thursday. Both sides described the meeting as cordial, and Obama professed himself a "great admirer" of the new pontiff. Despite the bonhomie, there are issues that divide the two men.

Six years ago, derivatives trader Jerome Kerviel made some bad trades — very bad trades that cost his bank nearly $7 billion. Now he faces prison and perhaps paying it back. So he's decided to take a long walk, from Rome to Paris.

Frontline's new documentary, "Secrets of the Vatican," uses leaked documents and interviews to expose turmoil, corruption and abuse in the final year of Pope Benedict's papacy. It's a legacy that Pope Francis is now trying to overcome.

Divorced Catholics who remarry are not allowed to take communion. And that exclusion may well be reconsidered as Pope Francis develops his plans for reforming the church, according to Boston Globe columnist and author James Carroll.

Remember being nervous as a child before singing at your Christmas play in school? Now imagine that your auditorium is St. Peter's Basilica, your audience is the entire Catholic world, and your master of ceremony is the Pope. In Rome, some 30 children are preparing for just that.

Frontline's new documentary, "Secrets of the Vatican," uses leaked documents and interviews to expose turmoil, corruption and abuse in the final year of Pope Benedict's papacy. It's a legacy that Pope Francis is now trying to overcome.

Pope Francis has already called attention to poverty and inequality, and he's now calling Catholics to pay more notice to the environment. In doing so, he could change not only policy but the way that people view sin and responsibility.

John Allen of the Boston Globe usually sits down at the end of the year to write something about the biggest uncovered Catholic stories from the past 12 months. But the longtime Vatican correspondent says he didn’t need to this year, thanks to a news media sensation focused on Pope Francis.

Divorced Catholics who remarry are not allowed to take communion. And that exclusion may well be reconsidered as Pope Francis develops his plans for reforming the church, according to Boston Globe columnist and author James Carroll.

Six years ago, derivatives trader Jerome Kerviel made some bad trades — very bad trades that cost his bank nearly $7 billion. Now he faces prison and perhaps paying it back. So he's decided to take a long walk, from Rome to Paris.

The new Pope, formerly Jorge Mario Bergoglio, was head of the Jesuit Order in Argentina during much of that nation's darkest episode, the so-called Dirty War in the 1970s and early '80s. That has led to some uncomfortable questions there about his role.

Venezuela's interim President Nicholas Maduro suggested that the late president Hugo Chavez might have "influenced" the selection of a Latin American pope from "his perch in heaven." But during his lifetime, Chavez ridiculed Catholic leaders in Venezuela.

Italian police have arrested a senior Catholic cleric, Monsignor Nunzio Scarano. He is accused of attempting to smuggle millions in cash into Italy for a family friend. Scarano is also a senior accountant in the Vatican's financial administration.

The Geo Quiz today takes us to the intersection of religion and technology. We're looking for the city of the patron saint of computer users and the Internet. Anchor Lisa Mullins brings us the answer -- it's Seville in Spain.

In Brazil, Pope Francis is starting his first foreign trip as leader of the Catholic Church. Many Brazilians are excited, but can Francis quell the numerous protests that have overrun the country in recent weeks?

Pope Francis has already called attention to poverty and inequality, and he's now calling Catholics to pay more notice to the environment. In doing so, he could change not only policy but the way that people view sin and responsibility.

American nuns have come in for sharp criticism in the past from Vatican officials. But the Catholic Church's latest report on nuns in the US offered praise instead, a welcome change at a time when American religious orders are growing older and more cash-strapped.

Frontline's new documentary, "Secrets of the Vatican," uses leaked documents and interviews to expose turmoil, corruption and abuse in the final year of Pope Benedict's papacy. It's a legacy that Pope Francis is now trying to overcome.

John Allen of the Boston Globe usually sits down at the end of the year to write something about the biggest uncovered Catholic stories from the past 12 months. But the longtime Vatican correspondent says he didn’t need to this year, thanks to a news media sensation focused on Pope Francis.

The US and Cuba supposedly negotiated in secret for more than a year to bring about a thaw between the two countries. They weren't the only ones, though: Pope Francis also helped the two longtime enemies conduct their back-channel diplomacy.

Divorced Catholics who remarry are not allowed to take communion. And that exclusion may well be reconsidered as Pope Francis develops his plans for reforming the church, according to Boston Globe columnist and author James Carroll.

President Barack Obama met with Pope Francis at the Vatican on Thursday. Both sides described the meeting as cordial, and Obama professed himself a "great admirer" of the new pontiff. Despite the bonhomie, there are issues that divide the two men.

Remember being nervous as a child before singing at your Christmas play in school? Now imagine that your auditorium is St. Peter's Basilica, your audience is the entire Catholic world, and your master of ceremony is the Pope. In Rome, some 30 children are preparing for just that.

Six years ago, derivatives trader Jerome Kerviel made some bad trades — very bad trades that cost his bank nearly $7 billion. Now he faces prison and perhaps paying it back. So he's decided to take a long walk, from Rome to Paris.